Students applaud during the commencement ceremony on Dec. 14, 2019 at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg. Photo Courtesy University Marketing and Communications
As of last Thursday, 2,500 students are expected to cross the stage on May 13 on the library lawn on the Brownsville campus and May 14 in the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg.
Sofia Almeda, university registrar, said one of the reasons that led the university to have an outdoor ceremony in Brownsville was because there are limited venues that can accommodate the number of participants.
“Because it’s outdoors and because the graduates are permitted to leave the venue as they cross the stage, we decided it would be possible for us to allow all participants an unlimited number of tickets,” she said. “In the Edinburg area, we have more options when it comes to venues, and the Bert Ogden Arena allows an indoor venue, with participants getting 10 tickets for their guests.”
Almeda said the RSVP period is expected to close April 11.
There will not be a virtual option for students, but the ceremony will be streamed live on Facebook.
She said students are still permitted to have a graduation slide as a memento from the occasion.
Almeda said it is important that students read their emails the week prior to graduation so that they are prepared and inform their guests on what to expect.
“We did have an opportunity to survey our participants from commencement from last semester so that we are sure to continue some of the things that students responded really positively to,” Almeda said.
Kassandra Ramos, a business administration senior, chose to cross the stage in the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg.
Ramos said she made this decision because of the experience she had attending her friend’s commencement ceremony last semester.
“[Last semester], Brownsville [was in] the parking lot and then Edinburg at the Bert Ogden Arena,” she said. “So, my friend chose Edinburg. And when I went to hers it was really pretty. So, I chose the Edinburg [ceremony] because I already got to see how it looks like.”
Ramos said she is looking forward to her family attending and sharing the experience with her friends.
Asked about her thoughts on the locations for both ceremonies, she responded that there should not be a drastic difference in locations.
“One is indoor and one is outdoors, that’s very drastic,” Ramos said. “I understand Edinburg has more students but the majority of the Brownsville students have to take Edinburg classes. So,I feel like they also deserve the same ceremony as the students in Edinburg.”
She said during her junior year at UTRGV she started to see how the university was evolving and how it had many great programs, opportunities and professors.
“I feel like it was a blessing and a sign to stay [in the Rio Grande Valley] because everything has been evolving for the better,” she said. “I can’t wait to see how UTRGV is going to look like in the next couple of years because I will also be completing my masters here.”
Sahara McGee, a psychology senior, said she is excited to walk the stage because it is a reflection of her life that she gets to start after completing the school year.
McGee is based on the Brownsville campus and although she is not sure which location to attend yet, she said it will most likely be in Brownsville because it is closer to her house.
Asked how she felt about the difference in locations for both commencements, she replied, “I feel that Brownsville might have gotten a little bit of the shorter end of the stick because of the fact that there is a much smaller space. So, it’s kind of hard to fit so many people into one space, especially without tickets. Some people might not be able to see their family members. … I feel like they both have pros and cons, in their own ways.”
McGee feels that the amount of tickets for the Edinburg commencement is understandable because of the location.
For more information on commencement visit, utrgv.edu/commencement.
